CSUSB Theatre Takes "Black Butterfly" On The Road

Modern classic by Luis Alfaro to play at CSUSB & CSUSB Palm Desert Campus opens January 23

The Cal State San Bernardino Department of Theatre Arts kicks off 2015 with "Black Butterfly," "Jaguar Girl," "Pi??ata Woman and Other Superhero Girls, Like Me," by Luis Alfaro, directed by Johanna Smith.

Opening Jan. 23, 2015, "Black Butterfly" explores the complicated world of five girls growing up in East L.A. The play is based on their writing from the seventh grade through high school, expertly put together into a series of poems, monologues, music and dramatic scenes filled with adolescent angst, humor, American slang, Spanish and Spanglish. The play is filled with introspective moments that are both joyful and sad, over many subjects that all girls face while growing up.

As the play progresses, the act of writing becomes transformative for the girls, their poetry granting them the ability to express themselves through memories, experiences and desires. Their progression from youth to early teens is noted by a series of poems, "Ten Things Girls Say to Each Other," which are scattered throughout the longer poems. As the girls grow, their concerns shift from topics such as their favorite television show, to their awkward interaction with boys, to their own growing self-awareness as young women. "Black Butterfly" will take its audience on a trip through the teenage psyche.

This special event performance will run three days only, Jan. 23-25, with a matinee showing at 2 p.m. on Jan. 24 and 25; and 7 p.m. performances on Jan. 23 and 24, all in the CSUSB Performing Arts Recital Hall.

Tickets can be purchased for the CSUSB Recital Hall performances from the CSUSB Theatre Arts Box Office, by phone at (909) 537-5884, or online at theatre.csusb.edu. Ticket prices are $6 for students and children under 17; $12 for faculty, staff, seniors and military; $15 for adults. Parking at CSUSB is $5.

Following the performances in the CSUSB Performing Arts Recital Hall, "Black Butterfly" will hit the road, taking the show to the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus for a weekend run at the Indian Wells Theater, with performances Jan. 30 at 7 p.m., and Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased for the PDC Indian Wells Theater performances from the Indian Wells Theater Box Office, 37500 Cook St., Palm Desert, CA 92211, or by phone at (760) 341-6909, or online at iwtheater.com. Ticket prices are $6 for students and children under 17; $12 for faculty, staff, seniors, Osher members, and military; $15 for adults. Parking at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus is $5.